Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below gives information about the number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Number of jobs in four sectors of the economy in the US, 1960-2020

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The line graph shows the number of jobs in different four sectors of the economy in the US, between 1960 to 2020 in millions.

Overall, the manufacturing sectors had the highest number of the jobs in the United State from 1960 to 2020, in contrast, the agriculture sector had the lowest amout of jobs to the other three sectors of the jobs.

At the start, the healthcare sector at the least point in the graph which had around three million jobs in 1960, but after 20 years there can be seen increase in this sector and at the end this sector occupie around 16 million jobs, which is similar to the retail jobs.

On the other hand, the agriculture sector, at the starting point, it had approximately 6 million which is same to the retail sector. After this, it went decrease to decrease, and at the end it fall on the about 3 million jobs in 2020. In contrast, the manufacturing in 1960 had 15 million jobs which was highest to the other three, after this it reach at 20 million jobs. after thounching this peak point it had started to decrease and decrease, at the end it reach aroud 17 million jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to cover all parts of the task by reporting on the four economic sectors between 1960 and 2020. However, there are significant inaccuracies in data reporting. For instance, the student states that manufacturing reached 17 million jobs at the end (2020), whereas the graph shows it at approximately 13 million. Furthermore, the description of manufacturing having 20 million in 1980 is generally correct, but subsequent trends contain confusion. An overview is attempted in the second paragraph, but it is marred by grammatical issues and inaccurate data interpretation regarding manufacturing's overall dominance (retail and healthcare also reach 16 million by 2020). Because of the noticeable data inaccuracies and underdeveloped overview, the score reflects Band 5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows some basic organisation with an introductory paragraph, an overview attempt, and body paragraphs separating the sectors. However, the progression is disjointed and awkward. Cohesive devices are used repeatedly and somewhat mechanically, such as 'At the start', 'after this', and 'On the other hand'. Paragraphing is attempted, but sentences within paragraphs feel cobbled together rather than smoothly linked. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for example, 'which is same to the retail sector'. Overall arrangement is coherent enough to follow the general narrative, but the logical flow is frequently interrupted by clunky transitions and repetitive structural patterns. This places the response firmly in Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent word-choice errors and awkward phrasing. Examples include 'amout of jobs', 'least point', 'occupie around', 'went decrease to decrease', and 'thounching this peak point'. While the student attempts some less common vocabulary items related to graph trends (e.g., 'peak point', 'sector'), the execution is inaccurate. Spelling mistakes such as 'amout' instead of 'amount' and 'aroud' instead of 'around' are present, though they do not completely impede communication. The lexical range is limited and minimally adequate for the task, fitting the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, with frequent grammatical errors that often cause difficulty for the reader. There are persistent issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'the manufacturing sectors had the highest number of the jobs', 'the healthcare sector at the least point', and 'it fall on the about 3 million jobs'. Complex sentence structures are attempted, but they are frequently faulty and clumsy (e.g., 'which had around three million jobs in 1960, but after 20 years there can be seen increase in this sector'). Punctuation is also weak, relying heavily on comma splices to link independent clauses. These frequent errors correspond to a Band 5 score.

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